Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1887-05-20
/ JESS.
by H.NDER HAcGARD,
&athor @Nns soloneOEsMlcqs ShSEts.
CHAPTER ".
BESSIE IS ASKED IN MARRIAGE

sprained ankle and the other injuries inflicted
on him by the Infatuated cock ostrich lit is,
by the way, humiliatng thing to be
knocked out of time by feathered fowl,
and set to work to learn the routine of farm
life. lie did not find this a disagrceable task
especially when he had so fair an instructress
as Bessie, who knew all about it, to show him
the way in which he should go. Naturally of
an energetic and hard working temperament
he very soon got more or less into the swing
of the thing, and at the end of six weeks be-
gan to talk quite learnedly of cattle and os-
triches and sweet and sour vedt. About once
week or so Bessie used to put him through
regular examination as to his progress also
she gave him lessons in Dutch and Zulu, both
of which tongues she spoke to perfection; so
it will be seen that he did not lack for pleas
ant and profitable employment Another
thing was that he grew much attached to old
Silas Croft. The old gentleman, with his hand
some, honest face, his large and varied stock
of experience and his sturdy English charac
ter, made great impression on his mind. He
had never met a man quite like him before.
Nor was the liking unreciprocated, for his
host took a wonderful fancy to John Mel.
"You see, my DEAR" he explained to his niece
Bessie, "hes quiet, and he doesn't know much
about farming, but he's willing TO learn, and
he's such gentleman. Now, where one has
Kaffirs to deal with, as on place like this,
you must have a gentleman. Your mean
white will never get anything out of Kaffir;
that's why the Beers kill them and fog them,
because they can't get anything out of them
without. But you see Capt. Mel gets on well
enough with them. think he'll do, my
dear, think he'll do" and Bessie quite agreed
with him. And so it came to pass that after
o. t,ia tl,o
struck and John paid over his 81 900 and
took a third interest in Mooifonten.
Now it is not possible, in general way,
for youngish man like John Mel to live in
the same house with young and lovely
woman like Bessie Croft without running
more or less risk of ENHANCEMENT. More es-
pecially is this so where the two people have
little or no outside society Or distraction to
divert the attention from each other Not
that there was as yet, at any rate, the
slightest hint of affection between them
Only they liked one another very much, and
found it pleasant to be good deal together.
In Short they were walking along that easy,
winding road that leads to the mountain
paths of love 1t is a very broad road, like
another road that runs elsewhere and, also
like this last, it has wide gate Sometimes,
too, it leads to destruction. But for all that
it is most agreeable one to follow hand in
hand, winding as it does through the pleasant
meadows of companionship. The view is
rather limited, it is true, and honielike-full
of familiar things There stand the kline,
knee deep in the grass there runs the water;
and there grows the corn. Also one can stop
if one likes By and by it grows different.
BY and by when the travellers tread the
heights of passion, precirices will yawn
p,,1 .tll 1ir,l. ,i,, f~I
and storms will blind; and who can know
that they will attain at last to that far off
peak, crowned with the glory of perfect
peace which men call happiness' There are
those who say it never can be reached, and
that the halo which rests upon its slopes is no
earthly light, but rather, as it were
promise of a beacon-a glow reflected whence
we know not, and lying on this alien earth as
the suns light lies on the dead bosom of the
moon. Some say, again, that they have
climbed its toumost pinnacle and tasted of
the fresh breath of heaven that sweeps
around its heights-ay, and heard the quiring
of immortal harps and the swanlike sigh of
angels wings: and then behold. a mist has
fallen upon them, and they have wandered in
it, and when it cleared they We're on the
mountain paths again. and the peak was far
away. And few there are who tell us that
Lney i've unerc always, listening 10 lne voice
of God; but these are old and worn with
journeying- and women who have out
lived passions and ambitions and the fire
heats of love, and who now, girt about with
memories, stand face to face with the sphinx
eternity.
But John Mel was no chicken, nor very
likely to fall i'll love with the first pretty face
he met. He had once, years ago, gone
through that melancholy stage, and there, he
thought was an end of it. Another thing
was that if Bessie attracted him, so did jess
in a different way. Before he had been q
week in the house he had come to the con-
clusion that Jess was the strangest woman he
had ever met, and in her own way one of the
most attractive. Her very impaSsiveness
added to her charm; for who is there in this
world who does not like to learn secret? To
him jess was a riddle of which he did not
know the key. That she was clever and well
informed he soon discovered from her rare
remarks; that she could sing like an angel he
also knew; but what was the handspring of
her mind-round what axis did it revolve-
that was what puzzled him. Clearly enough
1t was not like most womens, least of all like
happy, healthy, plain sailing Bessie. So curl
GUS did he become to fathom these mysteries
tnat he took every opportunity to associate
WIN HSl, anu Noulu even, Wuell ne Dul Ulfllp,
go out with her on her shetching, or rather
flower painting, expeditions. On these oc-
casions she would sometimes begin to talk,
but it was always about books, or England,
or some intellectual question. She never
spoke of herself.
Yet it soon became evident to John that
she liked his society, and missed him when he
did not come. 1t never occurred to him what
boon it was to girl of considerable intel
lectual attainments and still greater intel
lectual capacities and aspirations, to be
thrown for the first time into the society of a
cultivated and intelligent gentleman. John
Mel was no empty headed. one sided indi-
vidual He had both read and thought, and
even written little, and in him jess found a
mind which, though of an inferior stamp,
was more or less kindred to her own. AL
though he did not understand her, she under
stood him. and at last, had he but known it,
there rose far off dawning light upon the
twilight Of her mind that thrilled and changed